Disasters - a growing problem around the world.It's a fact - disasters are on the rise around the world. According to one estimate, the 1990s saw a tripling of disasters and a nine-fold increase in economic costs when compared with the 1960s. Climate change,earthquake,floods,storm increasing concentrations of people in vulnerable areas, and political and economic instability are all contributing factors.
The challenge is - how do we deal with this growing dilemma?

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Mumbai: A 32-year-old tax agent from Malwani became the latest victim of dengue, the mosquito-borne ailment that recorded an astonishing 118% rise in the city this year over last year. At the state level too, over 100 deaths and 2,000 cases have been reported, both much higher than incidences in the last five years.

The civic body on Thursday insisted that Tariq Jafari was the fourth in the city to succumb to the sting of the aedes aegypti mosquito. It is yet to add the name of filmmaker Yash Chopra to the list of dengue fatalities. While Jafari died at the Kokilaben Ambani hospital on Wednesday night, his four-year-old daughter Tasneem, admitted in the same hospital, remains critical. His wife Shakila, too, has tested positive for dengue. She took discharge against medical advice after hearing about Jafari's death. Hospital executive director Dr Ram Narain said Jafari was admitted on Wednesday morning in a critical condition with a diagnosis of dengue shock syndrome and multi-organ dysfunction. "He was admitted to our ICU and despite all medical efforts, he passed away at 7.45pm on Wednesday," said Narain. Tasneem, also diagnosed as suffering from dengue, is undergoing treatment at the paediatric intensive care unit. Jafari's sister Momina Khan said he developed fever last Friday and was taken to the family doctor, who prescribed medicines and called for tests. But Jafari's condition worsened and he was taken to Suchak Hospital, where he tested positive for dengue. The family later shifted him to Kokilaben hospital. The Jafaris' neighbours claimed despite several cases being reported, no vector control measures had been taken. "At least 10 more people have been diagnosed with dengue in the vicinity in the last two weeks," said a Malwani resident. The BMC did not agree. It carried out a rapid survey of 1,000 houses in the area around Samuha Society in the Mhada complex where the Jafarais stay and came back with only a handful of fever cases. Head of epidemiology cell Dr Mangala Gomare said: "We found about 7-8 fever cases but none were cases of dengue. Besides the survey, we have also carried out vector control activities like fogging in the area."